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Stal'Falien
In the early 1100s, a new pre-Human ruin was discovered out towards the middle of the Wastes, ruins possessing both Elvish and Draconic architectural designs- Stal'Falien, the Redoubt of Remembered Promises. In theory, these were built shortly before the dragons went extinct, which was not long after the original elves went extinct. This suggests that the first dragons had either made some manner of pact with the elves, or wished to preserve their historic legacies; employing elvish architecture and- to some extent- literary and nomenclature schema, in tandem with their own. Of course were this the case, Stal'Falien would have- as some archeologists theorize- been built more as a temple or museum, as opposed to its apparent fortress-city-like construction. For their part, the draconic race has not deigned to answer the inquiries of mortals, stating that there are lessons which they (the mortals) must learn on their own without interference. This is considered by most who would dare to brave Stal'Falien's depths as a stroke of good fortune, as no dragon, chromatic or metallic, seems intent on claiming the fortress-city as a lair, or even going near it. Initially, these ruins were extremely difficult to access due to being buried remarkably far below the surface. It is believed that they predate the Aboleth inhabitance of Scylla, but all archeological interests dropped sharply as the Armageddon Wars began. What few who remembered the existence of these ruins after the Wars feared that they would remain lost forever, slowly sinking ever deeper into the earth until time and pressure would eventually crush them entirely. These fears were allayed in 1752 S.V., when a peculiar series of earthquakes around Stal'Falien brought almost the entirety of the place closer to the surface; several of the topmost structures were even able to break the surface of the sands and become viable entry points. Unfortunately, 'viable entry points' in this instance is not only meant for civilized explorers, but hordes of various hostile creatures and people eager for places to hide in safety from the harshness of the Wastes. Adding further difficulties is that Stal'Falien has been buried for so long that its sudden resurgence has collapsed a number of tunnels and walkways which have remained underground. As creatures and diggers have moved in and moved out, they have left huge networks of tunnels- which can make a stratum similar in size to old Earth's Manhattan Island- quite difficult to navigate. Maps must often be made on-site, as new caverns are dug out by the locals and old ones collapse from disuse or decay. This of course leads to the question, why bother going there in the first place? Many go simply for the spectacle of it all. With a few elvish arcane batteries, many sections of Stal'Falien are provided with enough power to provide adequate lighting and the handful of doors which have not been ruined still work. Since only a handful of areas have been explored out of the entirety of the ruin, many areas remain where it may be possible to find magical relics or weapons from the pre-Human galactic civilizations, or even just common artifacts that could be valuable to historians, archeologists, and collectors of articles from antiquity. Others go in search of answers and clues to mysteries that eluded the Federation throughout the renaissance, such as why the Ancients died out in the first place, or perhaps what secrets the dragons aren't telling them. But all such endeavors, whether for history or for profit, rely upon a prospective explorer's ability to survive- as noted before, Stal'Falien has become home to many hostile things, and they do not take kindly to intruders disturbing their homes or plans. Naruvan Wastes Back to Main Page